Amusement apparatus.



T. D, HGGPEP., JR. AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLIUATION FILED NOV. 18,1913.

Patented June 30, 1914i.

2 SHEETS-'SHEET 1.

Patented June 30, 19M

LIGLSQ,

Z SHBETSSHEET 2.

WJZWESSES:

Y S5 claimed.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

T all @071.0112 it may concern Be it known that I, 'llHoIsnis D. Hoornn,Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county ofPhiladephia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certainnew anduseful Improved Amusement Apparatus, of which the following is aspeciiication.

This invention, broadly stated, relates to that class of amusement appa'atns com.l monly known as scenic railways, and has for its principalobject to provide an amusement apparatus of this class, the inclins ofwhich are provided with double tracks, each set of tracks alternatelyequipped at intervals with cut-outs or loops so that when a passengercar having swiveled trucks, passes thereover under the influence ofgravity, the caris caused automatically to reverse itself bodily withoutchanging its course of transit, thereby producing a sensation, bothnovel and exhilarating in its effects.

A further obiect of the present inventionresides in the providing ofspecially designed passenger cars and in the providing of certain novelconstruction and arrangement of parts for imparting this rotativemovement to the passenger conveyances.

Other and further objects of the present invention reside in theproviding of general details of constructio-n and arrangement of partsas will hereinafter more fully appear.

The invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described Thenature, characteristic features and scope of the invention will. be morefully understood from the following description taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings forming part hereof and in which: Figure l, isa perspective view of the amusement apparatus embodying the invention,the view being somewhat diagrammatic in form. Fig. 2, is a top or planview drawn to an enlarged scale of'on'e of the cut-outs or loops, shownin Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a fragmentary view, in plan, of a portion of Fig..2, enlarged and illustrating two ositions of a passenger'conveyance,and Fig. 4,

59 is a view in section taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, there is disclosed a physical .embodiment ofthe invention constructed in a manner best known to me at this time forpractising the invention.

' Obviously, various details of construction Specification oi Lettersfatent.

' be restricted to a. scenic rail and final ly -are alwaysaccon'nnodated by s may ne sav-.ne result apirit of the description iand arrangemen and modified to out departing ,fr tion. v`illflhile toemind embodying the idea in t` toy.

ln the drawings, the support 10, may of any suitab e consti signed alongthe lines, now erecting scenic railways. Car Y supporting structure it),incli'ics il. which toe number immaterial. vari ous inclines ll, areprovided with. a double 7i; set of traction rails 1 2, and i3, lformingeffect a straightaway single track, each set of rails however, beingalternately extended intervals upon arcs of circles to few-n cntm Outsorloops le. '.lhe pci the two sets of rails at the cut or lei, form frogsl5, see 2 rails adjacent the fro le, a with guards. 1G. ift-.daif ed theinclines ll, under' the influent: ity are passenger corr` nce anyappropriate car i7, is

rovnied 'wit 18, of iany 'suitable consti nating the swivel connection.truck i8, and the bottom ot "l superimposed, concentrically 20, toafford a good locas which the car body may turn. wheels 21, of whichthere are i truck, are flanget'i shown, ann are adapted to so 'trackupon and 13, that the wheels of r always acronnnodated by 'the tion ofrails and the wheels. oi

tended into cut-outs or loops. By the fact that the straight sections;o! and 13, are closely adjact 1t one ai 'i because of the fact that thebody or has swiv'clcd relation with the trucks, arrangement is possible,the body the assuming a slight' angular position., as c i, at the righthand side of i5, when a car is traveling over the straight sectit ci' M5track.

The operation of the above described pw paratns is as followsrr carbeing in position upon the rails 12, and 13, as just de scribed,passengers are permitted to enter the car at the point 22, and the caris me chanicallyrnoved up the incline 23, by sait able mechanism, forinstance, by means of a cable 24, operated by a motor 25. Upon reachingthe point QG, of the amusement apparatus, the car through the force ofgravity moves along the inclines 11, until a cutout er loop 14, isreached. At this point, the wheels of the rear truck of the car continuealong the rails whichv constitute the straightaway portion of the track,and the wheels of the front truck follow the rails, which at this pointare curved upon an are of a circle, and themomentum of the car taken inconnection with the length of the curved section ofrail over thestraight rails, throws the rear of the car together 'with itscomplemental truck forwardly ahead of the front truck, which pbositionis showirat the left hand sidesof Fig. 3. Thus, throughout a portion ofthe ride over a cut-out or loop, the ear 17, ranges crosswise of thetrack. As the car `nears the end of the loop, the rear truckis so far inadvanceof the front truck as to automatically reverse the car, bodily,without changing its course of transitl und the rear truck is nowtraveling in. advance of what was originallythe front truck. Thus as thecar once more travels over the straightaway' track the passengers areseated backward. Upon the car reaching the next cut-out or loop, theabove Aoperation is repeated and again the ear automatically reversesitself, bodily, and the passengers.

are again seated looking forward. 'lhis reversing operation may berepeated as often as desired.

In order to guard againstaceidcnts, the

rails 12, and 13, are provided with iguard rails 27, see AFig. 4, butfor the sale of clearness, are not shown in the other. figures. 'Othersafety appliances, not shown in the drawings, may also be present forguarding against^` accidents.

What I claim is:

1. In an amusement apparatus, an incline provided with traction rails,which rails areI alternately extended at intervals to form cutouts-orloops, a car equipped with swiveled trucks, the traction wheels ofrwhich are adapted for travel over saidv rails under the influence ofgravity, the wheels so tracking the rails that upon reaching a eut-outor loop, the ear is causedV to reverse itself bodily without changingits course of transit.

2. In an amusement apparatus, an incline provided with traction rails,which rails are alternately extended at intervals to form cut-outs orloops, a car equipped with swiveled trucks, the traction wheels of whichare adapted for travel over said rails under the influence of gravity,the wheels so tracking the rails that upon reaching a cut-out vorA toform loops, a car equipped with swiveled trucks, the traction rails ofwhich are adaptA ed for travel over said rails under the inlluence ofgravity, a set of wheels tracking upon each set of rails, whereby uponreachin(r a loo i a car is caused, to automaticalll reverse itselfbodily without changing its course of transit. Q

4. In an amusement' apparatus, an incline provided with a double set oftraction rails, of which each set is alternately extended at intervalsupon arcs of circles to form loops, the intersecting points of the twosets of rails forming frogs, a ear equipped with swiveled trucks, thetraction wheels of which are adapted for travel oversaid rails under theinfluence of gravity, a set of 4wheels tracking upon each set of rails,

whereby upon reaching a loop, a ear is caused to automatically reverseitself bodily without changing its course of transit.

ln an amusement apparatus, a supporting structure, an incline, a doubleset of rails forming in effect, a straightaway single track, each set ofrails being alternately extended' at intervals upon arcs of circles toform loops, the intersecting points of the two sets of rails formingfrogs, a passenger car equipped with swiveled trucks, the

flanged traction wheels of which are adapted for travel vover said railsunder the influence of gravity, a set of wheels tracking upon each setof rails, whereby upon reaching a loop, the rear set of.whoels followthe straightaway track, and the front set of wheels follow the loop, soas to cause the car to automatically reverse itself bodily withoutchanging its course of transit.

In testimony whereof, I 'have hereunto signed my name. 4 THOMAS D.HOOPER, JR.

Witnesses: WILLIAM J. JACKSON, llinaiivv M. BYRNE.

